ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday summoned the attorney general for Pakistan (AGP) for assistance on the pleas challenging the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act 2025.
Justice Inam Amin Minhas heard the petition filed by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the Anchors Association.
Advocate Imran Shafiq appeared on behalf of the PFUJ and Advocate Riasat Ali Azad represented the Anchors Association.
PFUJ President Afzal Butt, senior anchorperson Hamid Mir, Adnan Haider and Islamabad Union of Journalists President Tariq Virq were among those present.
Advocate Shafiq, while advancing the arguments, raised a point that the PECA Bill had been passed in haste and even the sections of the law had been wrongly numbered.
“The law is full of mistakes… there are two contradictory definitions of applicant. Similarly, the complaint authority under the law is the same that functioned under PEMRA law,” he said.
The court responded that there certainly was a problem of fake news. “Whether fake news should be published or not,” he asked the lawyer.
Advocate Azad argued that the forum for appeal against a tribunal decision was the Supreme Court (implying that there is no proper procedure involved). He said the stakeholders were not consulted before the passage of the controversial bill.
“A journalist will be forced to reveal his source. How can one get information from a source under such circumstances? Only weather situation will be reported,” he contended while demanding repeal of the law.
PFUJ head Afzal Butt said they were not in favour of fake news. “We don’t support absolute freedom or violation of rules and regulations but no law should be in contravention of fundamental rights,” he argued.
The court summoned the attorney general for Pakistan for assistance. He assured the petitioners that he would sympathetically hear their viewpoints saying “you can file miscellaneous application.”
The court adjourned hearing of the case till a date to be decided later.
A few days ago, the Anchors Association and the PFUJ had challenged the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2025 in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Senior anchorpersons Hamid Mir, Nasim Zahra, Adnan Haider and Ameer Abbas filed the petition through Advocate Riasat Ali Azad, president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association. Advocate Imran Shafiq represents the PFUJ.
They requested court to repeal the law.
Amendments to the PECA Amendment Bill 2025 have already been challenged in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Muhammad Qayyum Khan, a citizen, filed the plea and made the president, the National Assembly speaker, the Senate chairman and the law secretary respondents.
The petitioner contended that the latest amendments to the law contravend fundamental human rights and provisions of the constitution and requested the apex court to declare the amendments null and void and form a full bench to hear the case.
“The court should also take stock of the original PECA,” he demanded.
The amended law has become controversial even before it was enacted. A few days ago President Asif Ali Zardari approved the PECA Amendment Bill 2025 vociferous protests by opposition and journalists.
Earlier, the Senate approved the controversial bill and the Digital Nation Bill 2025 after National Assembly’s nod.
The bills, which kept the government and the opposition at daggers drawn for several days, were moved by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Federal Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain on behalf of the interior minister.
